Archive for the ‘East County’ Category

Brentwood traffic stop leads to arrest of Antioch duo on gun charges

Wednesday, March 13th, 2024
Gun and ammunition confiscated during arrest on Sunday, March 10, 2024. Photo: Brentwood PD

Both already out of custody onea former Deer Valley High cheerleaderon bond, the other with no charges filed

By Brentwood Police Department

On Sunday night, March 10, 2024, a Brentwood officer conducted a routine traffic stop in the area of Lone Tree Way and Fairside Way. The stop was initiated due to multiple vehicle code violations observed by the officer.

During the course of the stop, the officer found an un-serialized loaded high-capacity firearm in the backseat of the vehicle. As a result, 19-year-old Daekaylah Leiloni Little and 20-year-old Louis Edward Quinn, Jr., both of Antioch, were placed under arrest and transported to the Martinez Detention Facility for booking.

According to localcrimenews.com they were charged with carrying a loaded firearm on Person or in vehicle while in public place, carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle and a large capacity magazine.

According to the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Department, as of Monday, March 11 Little bonded out of custody and Quinn was released with no charges filed on Wednesday, March 13.

According to an August 22, 2021, post on her Facebook page, Little was a cheerleader at Deer Valley High School.

This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of routine traffic stops and the diligent efforts of our officers in keeping the community safe.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Antioch, Bay Point men convicted of drug trafficking

Monday, February 19th, 2024

Following wiretap investigation into East Bay drug suppliers and significant seizures of fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and cash

Attempt to use FBI investigation of APD officers as a defense denied

Third man convicted is illegal alien from Mexico; among 13 defendants indicted in 2019

Each face maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for every count on which they were convicted

By U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of California

SAN FRANCISCO – A federal jury has convicted three defendants—Luis Torres Garcia, Evan Martinez Diaz of Bay Point, and Timothy Peoples of Antioch—of multiple drug trafficking offenses following an eight-day trial, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), San Francisco Field Division, Special Agent in Charge Brian M. Clark. The jury convicted the defendants on all counts, rendering its verdict on February 14, 2024, after deliberating for two hours. The verdict followed a trial before the Hon. Richard Seeborg, Chief U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of California.

The three were among 13 defendants indicted in May 2019 “on narcotics trafficking charges, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Chris D. Nielsen.  The indictment follows the arrest of five of the defendants on April 30, 2019, and the execution of search warrants at thirteen locations, including nine residences in Contra Costa County, Humboldt County, Fairfield, Suisun City and Modesto.” (See related article)

The evidence at trial included calls intercepted between April 2018 and February 2019 as part of a federal wiretap investigation into two drug suppliers in the East Bay. The intercepted calls established, among other things, that both suppliers received drugs from sources in Mexico. At trial, the government also presented evidence of several significant drug seizures including: 8.8 pounds of fentanyl and heroin in May 2018, valued at as much as $1.1 million, according to uncontested evidence at trial; 18 pounds of methamphetamine in August 2018; and 20 pounds of methamphetamine and one kilogram of cocaine in February 2019. The evidence at trial also established that law enforcement seized more than $300,000 in drug-related cash over the course of the investigation.

Peoples, 44, of Antioch, California, was arrested after law enforcement officers found cocaine in his home, and charged with two counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B)–(C). Evidence presented at trial showed that Peoples was a regular customer of an Antioch-based cocaine wholesaler from whom he bought some 10.5 pounds of cocaine for more than $120,000 in a 90-day period. Peoples used the codeword “babies” to refer to ounce quantities of cocaine. The evidence at trial established that Peoples then sold cocaine to his own customers in smaller quantities and used his proceeds to buy expensive cars.

Attempt to Use FBI Investigation of Antioch Police Officers to Defend Himself Denied

According to the judge’s opinion, “In the course of the federal law enforcement investigation in this case, the Drug Enforcement Agency (“DEA”) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (“ATF”) were assisted by officers from the Antioch Police Department in executing search warrants and evidence collection, the bulk of which occurred in 2018 and 2019. Since then, several Antioch police officers have been accused of, and indicted for various crimes, including civil rights violations and wire fraud.” (See related articles here and here)

During the court case, “Peoples insisted that the federal case against the Antioch officers was relevant because two members of the Antioch Police Department accused of misconduct were present at the search of Peoples’ home on April 30, 2019.”

The opinion continued, “The defendants previously filed a discovery motion to compel production of impeachment material related to Antioch police officers who assisted with the DEA and ATF investigation of the defendants in the instant case. That motion was denied.”

“An evidentiary hearing was set to determine threshold matters in relation to the motion. Having considered the parties’ briefs, witness testimony, and admitted exhibits from the hearing, the government’s motion is granted, and the defendants are prohibited from referencing the federal investigation of any Antioch police officers.”

The opinion provided background to Peoples’ claim and the judge’s denial.

“Anticipating the issue would reappear at trial, the government filed MIL No. 12 to prevent the defendants from referencing Antioch police misconduct in the presence of the jury without first establishing relevance for fear that this would result in undue prejudice to the government. Dkt. (Docket) 489. In response, Peoples suggested that witnesses and the DEA-6 report regarding the search of Peoples’ home, authored by DEA Agent Mikhail Job, identified Antioch officers accused of misconduct as having participated in the April 30, 2019, search of Peoples’ residence.

Shortly before the pretrial conference, Peoples submitted a supplemental opposition to MIL No. 12 with information he and the government had just learned. Dkt. 521. In that supplemental opposition, Peoples contended that Agent Job had identified Antioch Officer Morteza Amiri, who has since been indicted on wire fraud charges and civil rights violations, as having entered Peoples’ residence alone for five to ten minutes along with his police dog after the occupants had been cleared out and before the official search began. Peoples also suggested that Antioch Officer Kyle Smith, who allegedly exchanged racist texts with other Antioch officers, joined the search of Peoples’ home. The government filed a supplemental response contending that Agent Job received erroneous information from the DEA case agents and had mistakenly named the wrong Antioch officers on his DEA-6 report. Dkt. 528. According to the government, Officers Amiri and Smith were not present at the search of Peoples’ home but were participating in the contemporaneous search of Defendant Lorenzo Lee’s residence. At the pretrial conference, the threshold question of whether Amiri was present at the search of Peoples’ home remained unresolved. The only potential relevance of the Antioch officers’ misconduct turned on whether Amiri and/or Smith were present at Peoples’ residence such that Peoples could infer the police planted evidence.”

Furthermore, “Peoples failed to establish that a jury could reasonably find that Amiri was present at Peoples residence on April 30, 2019 by a preponderance of evidence. At the evidentiary hearing, both sides admitted several witnesses and exhibits, and the government’s evidence was considerably more persuasive. The government’s witnesses included several law enforcement agents who corroborated their version of the events on the day in question. The testimony of two Antioch officers, Kevin Tjahjadi and Brayton Milner, who participated in the search of Peoples’ residence, was particularly persuasive. Both stated unequivocally that neither Amiri nor Smith joined in that search. The Antioch Police Department CAD reports regarding the search of Peoples’ residence further supported this version of events, identifying only Tjahjadi and Milner as the participating officers.”

Martinez Diaz, 31, of Bay Point, California, was charged with three counts—conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B); possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B); and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B). The evidence at trial established, among other things, that on February 9, 2019, Martinez Diaz was transporting about 20 pounds of methamphetamine and one kilogram of cocaine through a residential neighborhood in Antioch, California, when he realized he was being followed by law enforcement—which knew about the drugs through intercepted calls. Martinez Diaz began driving erratically, briefly evading law enforcement and directing a co-conspirator to discard the drugs he was carrying in the bushes on a residential street. A short time later law enforcement located the drugs, which evidence at trial established had street retail values of $177,860 (methamphetamine) and $40,000 (cocaine). After Martinez Diaz was stopped by police and released with a traffic citation, he was intercepted on a call telling his supplier that he had seen law enforcement and discarded the drugs to avoid arrest. (See judge’s opinion)

Torres Garcia, 38, an illegal alien from Mexico, residing in Rio Dell, California, was charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(A). The evidence at trial showed that Torres Garcia was a Humboldt County drug trafficker, who used the nickname “Guero.” Torres Garcia received methamphetamine shipments on credit from a Fairfield, California-based drug supplier. On August 8, 2018, the Fairfield supplier attempted to send about 18 pounds of methamphetamine—valued at $158,000—to Torres Garcia in Humboldt County. DEA agents and the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office intercepted the drug courier and seized the drugs during a vehicle stop on Highway 101 near Healdsburg, California. In February 2019, the DEA tracked Torres Garcia to a meeting in Windsor, California, where Torres Garcia delivered about $13,800 in cash to a courier for his drug supplier. Although he was present throughout the trial and listened to closing arguments, Torres Garcia absconded before the jury handed down its verdict; he is now a fugitive. (See judge’s opinion)

According to the judge’s opinion, “Luis Garcia-Torres, defendant, an alien who had previously been deported or removed from the United States to Mexico on or about May 19, 2016, was found in the Eastern District of Texas, said defendant not having received the express consent of the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security, the successor, pursuant to United States Code, Title 6, for re-application for admission to the United States, all in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a).”

Sentencing Hearing June 11, 2024

Judge Seeborg scheduled a sentencing hearing for June 11, 2024. Torres Garcia faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison. Martinez Diaz and Peoples each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for every count on which they were convicted. However, the defendants’ sentences will be imposed only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Pastor and Joseph Tartakovsky prosecuted the case with the assistance of Erick Machado. This prosecution is the result of an investigation led by the DEA Oakland Resident Office, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Homeland Security Investigations; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the police departments in Fairfield, Antioch, Concord, and Oakland; the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office; and the California Highway Patrol.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Tri Delta Transit issues Rider Alert for Presidents’ Day, Feb. 19

Friday, February 16th, 2024

RIDER ALERT:

Tri Delta Transit will be running weekend/holiday service on Monday, February 19th, in observance of the Presidents’ Day holiday. Tri MyRide and paratransit services will be limited. Administrative offices will be closed. Have a safe holiday weekend.

For more information visit Tri Delta Transit.

Contra Costa Board of Supervisors to hold Annual Retreat in Pittsburg Jan. 30

Thursday, January 25th, 2024

Open to the public

By Kristi Jourdan, PIO, Office of Communications & Media, Contra Costa County

Improving the quality of life for Contra Costa County residents through diverse, equitable, inclusive and accessible programs and services will be the center of the Board of Supervisors annual retreat discussion Tuesday, Jan. 30, at Pittsburg City Hall, 65 Civic Avenue in Pittsburg.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m.

“Ensuring we’re meeting community needs is always our focus,” said Board Chair Federal Glover, District 5 Supervisor. “The retreat offers an opportunity for us to anticipate economic factors and continue prioritizing resources accordingly to make sure we’re having the greatest impact through our services.”  

Supervisors will receive an economic forecast from Beacon Economics. Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice (ORESJ) Co-Directors Dr. Kendra Carr and Peter Kim will present a summary of ORESJ priorities for the coming year including new initiatives toward expanding equity, building office infrastructure and staffing, developing the Lived Experience Advisory Board, and proposed costs.Pittsburg City Manager Garrett Evans is also scheduled to speak.

The Board of Supervisors sets the direction of the County government and oversees its $5.5 billion budget to serve the 1.2 million residents of this diverse East Bay county with a “AAA” bond rating.

The Board meeting will be accessible in person at Council Chambers, Pittsburg City Hall, 65 Civic Avenue, Pittsburg. The meeting will be televised live on Comcast Cable 27, ATT/U-Verse Channel 99, Astound Channels 32 & 1027, and can be seen live online at www.contracosta.ca.gov or www.contracostatv.org

For more information about Contra Costa County and its Board of Supervisors, visit the County’s website at www.contracosta.ca.gov or the webpage: https://www.contracosta.ca.gov/7283/Board-of-Supervisors.

BART PD investigates Friday shooting of two at Pittsburg Center Station

Saturday, January 20th, 2024
Pittsburg Center Station. Photo: BART

By BART.gov

At 3:51 pm on Friday, January 19, 2024, BART Police received a call about a shooting that occurred on the platform of Pittsburg Center Station located at 2099 Railroad Avenue. The initial report was that a male suspect shot a male victim and fled the scene. The victim was taken to an area hospital and remains in critical condition.

A few hours later a second male victim who had also been shot showed up at an area hospital. The second victim remains in stable condition with a wound to his leg. BART PD is working to determine a motive for the shooting. At this point, investigators believe the shooting was not random.

The incident forced the shutdown of Pittsburg Center Station for approximately 4 1/2 hours so investigators could gather evidence. Investigators are also reviewing surveillance video captured by platform cameras at the station. The station was reopened and normal service restored.

Antioch woman arrested in organized retail theft of Brentwood, other Kohl’s stores

Saturday, January 6th, 2024
A suspect was caught on surveillance camera dragging out a bag of stolen goods at the Brentwood Kohl’s store on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024. Source: Brentwood PD

Charged with five felonies, being held on $130,000 bail; Richmond PD assists

By Brentwood Police Department

Maya Usher. Source: LinkedIn

On Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, Brentwood Police officers were dispatched to a report of a theft at Kohl’s. When the first officer arrived, he saw two of the suspects get into a car, which was parked in front of the store. The officer recognized it as being a suspect car involved in multiple prior thefts from Kohl’s.

The suspect car, which was driving recklessly and at a high rate of speed, fled from officers on scene. Because the suspects were believed to be involved in multiple thefts, with a most recent theft of $20,000, Dispatch notified other agencies of the information regarding the suspects and the involved car.

About an hour after this incident, Richmond PD notified our Dispatch that they had located the car and had one of the occupants, identified as 25-year-old Maya Vernay Usher of Antioch, in custody.

Usher was positively identified as one of the suspects responsible for the thefts. Our investigation also determined Usher is responsible for being involved in thousands of dollars’ worth of thefts from Kohl’s Department stores in and outside Contra Costa County. Usher was placed under arrest for organized retail theft, evading police, and other related charges.

This investigation is ongoing, and we will continue to work diligently in holding the other involved suspects accountable. A special thank you to Richmond PD for their assistance in this investigation.

According to recentlybooked.com, she was charged with five felonies including burglary: second degree – shoplifting, evading a peace officer with wanton disregard for safety, grand theft: money, labor, property – shoplifting, organized retail theft with intent to sell, exchange or return and conspiracy to commit a crime.

According to the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office, the 5’1”, 195-lb. Usher (born 11-16-1998) is being held in the West County Detention Facility on $130,000 bail and her next appearance in Contra Costa Superior Court is scheduled for Jan. 8, 2024, at 1:30 p.m.

According to localcrimenews.com, she was also arrested on June 12, 2021, by San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Deputies for grand theft.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Usher is a former Customer Service Representative for the Antioch Walmart store from Mar. 2017 to Jan. 2018, an Emergency Dispatcher for Securitas Security Services USA, Inc. in Oakland from Jan. 2018 to Dec. 2021, and has worked as a COVID technician for Bay Area PLS, a mobile phlebotomy company providing professional blood draws, vaccinations and Covid-19 testing, with no dates of employment provided.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Christmas Eve services at Golden Hills Community Church in Brentwood

Thursday, December 21st, 2023

Learn of the Advent during Sunday morning services

Candlelight Services at 7:00 pm and 11:30 pm

Join us at Golden Hills Community Church on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2023. Come celebrate Jesus with us as we explore what this season of Advent is all about during our normal Sunday morning services at 8:30 am and 10:30 am. There will be no kids’ classes that morning. We encourage all ages to sit in the service with their family. 

Then join us that night and worship the Lord during one of our annual Candlelight Services. We will sing Christmas songs of worship and hear from God’s Word as we celebrate the birth of our Savior!

Our first service will be inside the Sanctuary at 7:00 pm. We will offer ASL interpreting at this indoor service.

Our second service will be outside on the plaza at 11:30 pm. Please bring your own chair and wear something warm!

These services are for the whole family. Each service will last 30–45 minutes. 

For more information visit Christmas | Golden Hills Community Church. The church is located at  2401 Shady Willow Lane in Brentwood.

Brentwood athlete earns spot on 2024 U.S. Olympic Taekwondo team

Wednesday, December 20th, 2023
80Kg Gold Medalist Carl CJ Nickolas’ first flag run after he won the Taekwondo competition at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games October 22, 2023, in Santiago, Chile. Photo by Mark Reis, USOPC.

Former Heritage High student and son of former Antioch business owner Ed Givans is ranked #2 in the world

By Allen D. Payton

Former Brentwood resident and Heritage High student, Carl “CJ” Nickolas, has earned one of two spots for men on the U.S. Taekwondo team for the 2024 Olympics in Paris next summer. It follows him earning several medals this year. In June he won silver at the 2023 World Taekwondo Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. It was the first U.S. male taekwondo medal at the World Championships since 2009.

In addition, CJ won gold at the Pan American Games 2023 in Santiago, Chile in October, gold at the President’s Cup Pan America in Rio de Janeiro in September, and this month won bronze at the World Taekwondo Grand Prix 2023 Final in Manchester, England. He competes in the -80 kg division and as of October, CJ was ranked #3 in the world in the sport but is now #2.

According to the World Taekwondo Federation during his competition at this year’s Grand Prix Final, “In the bronze medal match…CJ Nickolas of the USA won bronze after facing Jordan’s two-time Grand Prix gold medalist and (Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medalist) Saleh Elsharabaty. The American kicked off the scoring with two push kicks to the body and later extended his lead in the closing 15 seconds with a head kick to take round one 8-2. Before contesting the second round, Elsharabaty, who had been struggling physically in the first round, conceded the match to Nickolas.”

“It was the event that qualified me for the Olympics,” CJ shared.

The 22-year-old, 6-foot-3½-inch athlete was a student at Heritage High School in Brentwood where he competed in track. Until he turned 18, CJ was trained by his father, Ed Givans, who previously owned Givans Taekwondo in Antioch but relocated to Las Vegas a few years ago. Yet, CJ credits his mother, Denise Nickolas, as his biggest inspiration. She still lives in Brentwood while their son has been living and training in Colorado since 2019 where he was a member of the USATKD Academy team. CJ recently moved to North Carolina where he trains at the United States Performance Center.

CJ Nickolas of Team USA took the Gold Medal in 80Kg Taekwondo competition bites his medal Rafael Nadal-style at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games October 22, 2023, in Santiago, Chile. Photo by Mark Reis, USOPC.

CJ started taekwondo at age three with his whole family and began competing at age six but started to become serious about the sport around age 11. He has a history of experience and victories in his career which includes participation at the 2019 and 2022 World Championships, the 2022 Paris Grand Prix where he won bronze, and the 2021 and 2022 Pan American Championships in Cancún, Mexico and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, respectively, at which he won back-to-back gold medals. CJ also won gold at the 2021 Junior Pan American Games held in Cali, Colombia.

“I won three bronze medals at the Grand Prix, which is a series of four competitions, this year,” he shared. “We knew going into the finals, all I needed to do was to have a solid performance, to qualify for the Olympic team. I was already locked in, and number two in the world.”

“But me being me, I wanted to make a statement,” CJ said with a laugh. “I had lost in the semi-finals. It was repachage, which allowed me to fight again for the bronze medal. Elsharabaty and I had been in the same division for so long but that was the first time we fought.”

“At this point I think I’ve beaten all the top guys in the division,” he stated. Except the number one ranked athlete, Simone Alessio of Italy.

CJ lost to him at the World Championships. Asked if he expects to face him again at the Olympics, CJ said with a chuckle, “I’ll either catch him at the semi-finals or finals – if he makes it.”

He has an older sister who is supportive of him, just like his parents.

“And my coach, as well, Gareth Brown, who I’ve been with since 2019. He’s been imperative to my development as an athlete and as a man, from age 17 to now. He’s British and moved his entire family to America to serve the team. He was originally the coach for the British Olympic Taekwondo team and was at the forefront of the development of the academy program in Colorado.”

CJ on the medal stand at the World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan in May 2023. Photo by Jose Villalpando, U.S. Performance Center

Mom, Denise was asked if she’ll be attending the Olympic games next summer to watch her son in person.

“You bet. I wouldn’t miss it,” she replied. “His competition is Friday, August 9, 2024. Near the Champs-Elysées in the heart of Paris.”

“The whole experience has been surreal,” Denise stated. “Am I super surprised? No. CJ has always been the hardest working person I know. He’s always said this is where he’d end up. So, here we are.”

She referred to a 2020 Herald article (AH) which mentioned him preparing for the 2020, then the 2024 or 2028 Olympics.

“It’s definitely not luck,” she continued. “He’s worked his butt off all these years. I’m pretty proud of him.”

“You know it’s always been a dream of his and his will is greater than anything,” Dad, Ed stated. “He was supposed to go to the Olympics in 2020 but he grew from 5’10” to over 6’3” and he couldn’t hold the weight for his division. Then they extended the Olympics for a year because of COVID and there was no way he was going to be able to hold that weight for a year.”

“Then they told him he was going to be too small for the -80 kg division and now he’s number two in the world,” Givans shared. “So, I made a movie about the two of us entitled ‘The Journey of Dreams’ about me overcoming PTSD and him making his way to the Olympics. We’re waiting for the outcome next summer before finishing the film.”

Asked if he’s going to the Olympics to watch his son Givans said simply, “I’m going.”

“I’m just proud of him. He’s worked so hard for it,” he continued. “Going to the Olympics is extremely hard. They only take two men and two women from each team except the host country’s team. In 2028 since we’re hosting the Olympics, we can take four each. But being in the top two in the U.S. is extremely hard.”

CJ takes it all in following his quarter final match at the World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan in May 2023. Photo by Jose Villalpando, U.S. Performance Center

CJ has his own Wikipedia page and athlete’s page on the Team USA website, where more photos can be viewed of the athlete in action. He has a rare anomaly in his C1 vertebrae called “os odontoideum” yet, it hasn’t stopped CJ from competing. His hobbies include film analysis, photography and singing.

CJ offered “A big thank you to my family and all those who supported me over the years. I could not be here without my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

“I feel like I’m watching my own journey roll out. I’m having so much fun,” he continued. “It’s so entertaining to see where God puts me with the people I meet.”

“I just want to be the best person I can be and keep working as hard as I can, so I can continue to be blessed with these opportunities,” CJ added.